Seeing Sounds: Hiroto Uyama-A Son of The Sun

Hello everyone.
Today I would like to share an album i've discovered last year called A Son Of The Sun by Hiroto Uyama from Nujabes' Record Label Hydeout Production. Now, I seriously fell in love with Nujabes ever since 2005?! When I first watched the anime Samurai Champloo (which I recently bought the newly released series boxset). The soundtrack of Samurai Champloo is very unqiue and I'm serious about that. The music has a mix of eastern fedual flavor mixed with your traditional hip-hop production.
Out of all the artists, Nujabes stands out the most and when I did my research and with a friend hooking me up with some burned copies of Nujabes' solo work years ago. I began to think, this is my type of music. period. Anywho, if you did listen to Nujabes, you might have a track of Uyama Hiroto featured of the track: The Final View in Metamorphical Music.
Well, from what I researched Hiroto and Nujabes usually teamed up, esp during a concert on youtube I came across.
Anywho, A Sun of The Sun is great album to listen to. People would say, ehh he SOUNDS like nujabes, however, I think that Hiroto is on his own field. The music gives off I think a spiritual feeling and scaling landscapes. It makes me feel like I wanna talk walk to a the beach with the track "Ribbon in the Sea". Or climbing a mountain as if i'm training for something or trying to reach a goal with "Climbed Mountain". Basically when you listen to these songs you always get a sense a theme with each track.
There are 2 rap songs in the album, not huge as Nujabes' Modal Soul and Metamorphical and other albums. But, it these 2 songs stands out on their own. Vision Eyes features Golden Boy from the Canadian rap group Specifics. All I can say his flow rides the chill beat like a beast. This my favorite track in the album, this song makes me wanna chill and lounge at a club. One thing also that I find interesting, that Japan hip-hop picks their rap artists very well. A lot of underground artists that SHOULD be noticed by today's standards.
The other track Fly Love Song features Pase Rock from the Ohio rap group Five Deez. Surely, if you are Nujabes fan, you've heard him in a lot of Nujabes work. Well, he is still doing the damn thing with this track about... LOVE. The song gives off a nice piano vibe, drum sounds, and turntable scratches, following a deep lyical material. This is my 3rd favorite track of the album.

One thing that is interesting is Nujabes helped out with the album arrangements which gives a nice flow with instruments and with its loops.

The whole playlist is great not really any tracks to skip. However, this album may not be for everyone, because depending on the taste of music the listener is used to. If you want to try something new or if you love Nujabes and wanna try to dig deeper. This album is for you.

If not, I suggest people listen to Metamorpical Music and Modal Soul first. Its a great introduction to the Jazz-Hip-Hop genre.


Tracks to check out
1. Vision Eyes Featuring Golden Boy
2. Waltz For Life Will Born
3. Fly Love Song Featuring Pase Rock
4. Ribbon in the Sea
5. 81Summer

Reason Behind MIni Jams

before I start blabbing, I want to thank everyone for coming to jams and making it a nice turn out. Mostly every time.

So I want to get something straight off my head, I know there are people who are asking, why don't you want your jams being posted or advertise in breakernyc or bboyworld?

The reason is I don't think the School of Visual Arts is ready to expose or blow up yet. After all, its a "mini jam" like... a baby/small jam. Yet, I know that a good amount of people, even people I don't know, knows about this jam.

I do think that SVA jams and the scene is building a rep, little by little. That's great and I hope it keeps growing as it is.

The idea behind the mini jam was around nov and dec. I heard that Breaks U is coming again and I know that we can do better compared to last year. Also the number of people joining the club was growing in a good rate and I thought that I need to put them to the test somehow. And most of the members never been to a jam before. I also thought a little prize will be awarded and its also a trigger for hunger for battles too.

So this came through my mind: How can they handle themselves in a battle? So, I try to emulate how would a jam be like or what could you expect in a real battle. The first one was set in a classroom, small and private, and also fun. However, there is a problem getting past security. Other than that itt was a success.

During Jan. I realized that Breaks U is coming in a good 2 months. I thought that maybe another could do it, to make the SVA members ready for breaks U. And better yet, maybe I could try to make the jam a bit bigger and more public. So I moved to the student lounge and that's where all the action took place. People coming in, new faces to meet and such. It was great. Prizes anted up to big video games, Ipods, and all that cool stuff. Then someone said we should do this each month. And so.. here we are.

A few things concern me about School of Visual Arts. Before I go venting out. I'm sorry to the SVA student body if you guys get offended.

I just wish more SVA students come down to watch it, I do invite them yet, I don't think they care at all. The event isn't just for the bboy scene, but for the school also. And I do go passing around flyers and invite people. And I have a feeling, they just don't give a F about it. Because... they will go if there is food, drinks, or something related to their taste of... whatever they like. Which is totally messed up, I know people don't care about the SVA events at all but this event is truly unique compared to other events happening in SVA.

SVA Jams had a big turn out.
SVA Mini Jam 1 had 10 entries to the roster. The judges were Air-rich (Part Time Models), Hox, and Richie Rich (Full Force/Super Cr3w)
SVA Mini Jam 2 had 26 people in the roster with Ill-Phil (SDI), Xzoob and Xzist (Ground Zero) as judges.
SVA Mini Jam 3 had 24 people in the roster with Samo (X-Fenz), Ekcite, and Xzist as judges.
SVA Mini Jam 4 had 25 entires with Kid Glyde (Dyanmic Rockers), Xzist, and Richie Rich as judges. Steve Stylez (2-K Tactics), Chem (Floor Obessions), and Wingz were sub-judges for the first half.

Unfornately, mini jam 4 had some bad turnouts.
-The school didn't do the food order, so i took on to myself to buy everything to make the jam popping.
-An unfortunate event for one of the judges to leave
-there was heated cypher towards the end, however ther was peace afterward, I know I can't control from things happening but yea that's how the bboy culture is and its healthy. But I understand that, my purpose is to have gatherings of bboyin coming together but just to have fun and respect. We should respect each other, we are human and there is no need to be fired up. And if you have too much heat I would kindly have to say take it outside. If anything did happen, I would be held responsible since we are in a school enviorment.

Everything is cool now and it was a learning experience.

I hope there will be more Mini Jams to come



This is the finals from the first jam, the jam was very small yet fun.